gumshoe958

Indeed, no physical border. But I suspect crossing it adds €€€ to a taxi fare.

As long as it fits through the scanners (which all but the biggest cases should), sure you can carry on your own luggage. The only thing to remember is your cabin won’t be available until at least 1:00 (and sometimes 1:30), so if you’re any earlier than that you’ll have to keep your luggage with you until you can access your cabin, which might be inconvenient. But with a 1:00 check in time, that shouldn’t be an issue.

You only need the special cups if you want to use the Freestyle machines, for which you need a package. But if you do buy a package you don’t have to get a cup, you can always go to a bar for soft drinks instead. Juice is available for free at breakfast in the Windjammer. At other times you can get it from any bar but it’s not free (and isn’t included in the soda package, just the pricier refreshment package). Water & lemonade (and iced tea) are available for free all day in the Windjammer.

The physical cabins don’t move (unless they add new ones during an amplification). But selling categories can and do change. Four person cabins can be reconfigured to become two person cabins and vice versa, which means a different category and a revised deck plan. And it appears Royal has only recently realised that the balcony cabins at the back of the ship are very sought after so it’s invented a whole new category “Aft Sunset Balcony” and raised the price substantially. Same cabin as before, just more $$$.

Sorry to hear about your husband. Just checking you understand the distances and times involved here: well over 100 miles and 2 hours from Rotterdam to Bruges and well over 150 miles and 3 hours from Bruges to Amsterdam, across an international border. If a taxi is willing to take you you’ll be looking at several hundred Euros/dollars for the round trip. Uber, as an example, is currently quoting over €600 just for the Bruges to Amsterdam leg. If money’s no object, fine - otherwise I would stick to the train. I can’t believe Belgian and Dutch railways don’t offer a service of assisting with getting on and off trains, particularly if you book it in advance.

There are lots of shops at Schiphol after you’ve cleared customs and gone landside. Including an Albert Heijn supermarket which should have all you need.

Now on sale.

Yes, VV Insider initially said the 12th but has now changed it to the 14th.

Yes, VV Insider initially said the 12th but has now changed it to the 14th.

The National Trust has a comprehensive access guide to the Causeway here: https://nt.global.ssl.fastly.net/binaries/content/assets/website/national/regions/northern-ireland/places/giants-causeway/pdf/giants-causeway-access-statement-2023.pdf Even if it doesn’t answer your specific question there’s an email address at the top so you could try sending them a message. From memory it’s about a 10-15 minute downhill/uphill walk to/from the stones on a paved road but buses can’t go beyond the visitor centre.

A balcony is always lovely to have but ask yourself how much time you’ll REALLY spend on it? $1540 worth of time? Are there any solo sea view cabins available? They’re really nice IMHO.

Yes, it’s called the Refreshment package and it’s available on all ships. It basically includes all non-alcoholic drinks so yes - coffee, water, sodas, juices, mocktails, shakes.

Depends what you drink. Cocktails are $14 each. A glass of wine around $11. A beer $8. Water, soft drinks or nice coffee $3-$5. All plus 18% gratuity. So if you drink 6 cocktails a day the package will save you money. 6 glasses of wine and you’ll roughly break even. Anything less and you’re probably best off paying as you go.

They’re about 2 miles apart and there is no scheduled transport between the two so a cab is your only option unless you fancy a 30-40 minute walk through the fairly grim docks. Cab drivers should be fine with that - it’s further than both the train and bus stations.

For simplicity’s sake I would book the National Express coach to Victoria, then jump in a cab or Uber to your hotel. If you’d rather not use the tube (understandable) you’ll need a cab whether you use the train or the coach from Southampton.

Any of those will get you there in roughly the same time. Just depends how much you want to spend. Right now Uber is charging just under £60 but obviously that can vary. A taxi will be more, a private car even more.

There is an express bus every 30 minutes or so, picking up at all terminals and dropping off at Bryant Park. $18 each I think. Still takes at least 90 minutes though, so it’s tight and it’ll be peak rush hour by the time the bus gets anywhere near Manhattan. And what were you planning to do with your luggage?

Yes, there’s a soda package, a refreshment package (which includes all non-alcoholic drinks including mocktails, shakes, bottled water) and a coffee card. Plus, if you’re on a ship with an on-board Starbucks you can use your Starbucks card. Only a few ships have one though.

Believe me, I’m a huge advocate of the Elizabeth line. It’s revolutionised my journeys to Heathrow from the West End. But I’m conscious that most users of this forum are from overseas and unfamiliar with London’s public transport, may not be as mobile as some of us and may come from the US where train travel isn’t the norm that it is in Europe so find the prospect of using a busy commuter train in a strange city daunting. Elizabeth line trains don’t stop for long, there are often crowds to board and there’s often standing room only, like on the tube. I’m fine with that - it’s part of London life - but for many CC users the HEX might be a better, more relaxing option given it’s often quiet, there’s dedicated luggage space, more chance of getting a seat and plenty of time to get on and off at Paddington. Yes, it’s overpriced and I never use it but I acknowledge it has its uses.

For luggage storage definitely the HEX. There is none on the Elizabeth line. You’ll want to book at least a month in advance to get the £15 fare, and ideally far more. They only sell a limited number of £15 tickets each day, and once they’re gone they’re gone and you have to pay the full fare of £25.

Have you tried using a different device? Always worth a try.

I had no problem booking an inside cabin on Queen Anne for solo occupancy for the 4 night Rotterdam short break on 25 Nov ‘26.

There’s a reason the HEX is always empty and the Elizabeth line is super popular!

Important information for anyone transferring between Gatwick Airport (LGW) and Southampton: From 2nd June, the existing hourly direct train is being axed. It will be replaced by a half hourly (hourly on Sundays) indirect service involving a change of trains en route at Barnham. There’ll be no need to change platform at Barnham, so no stairs or long walks involved, but it’ll add 20-30 minutes to journey times as well as the inconvenience of having to load & unload luggage twice. Unfortunately, apart from one service late at night, there are no direct coaches between Gatwick & Southampton so the train will remain the only realistic option for those who prefer not to use a taxi or private car transfer. Note this does not affect London Heathrow (LHR) which is by far the more frequently used airport by cruisers from outside Europe.

All being well yes, although it’s on the tight side, particularly if it’s a weekday as the traffic can be very heavy. I’d want to be on the road by about 7:30 if it’s a weekday, 8am if it’s a weekend. With a clear run it’s just under 90 minutes but could easily be longer if it’s busy.